Morehead State Powers Its Way To Doubleheader Sweep Over East Tennessee State

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Morehead, Ky. (May, 14, 2002) - Morehead State slammed eight home runs this afternoon to power its way to a doubleheader sweep of East Tennessee State at Allen Field in Morehead, Ky. The Eagles took the opener 7-4 behind the route-going performance of junior right-hander Adam Crawford, then powered their way to a 14-12 win in the nightcap with six home runs.
In the first game, Crawford scattered eight hits in raising his record to 2-1 and pitching the first complete game of his career. Cary Page, who ranks second nationally in home runs, smacked a three-run home run in the first inning, his 25th of the season. Freshman Kyle Matuszek hit his ninth homer of the year, a lead-off shot in the second inning.
ETSU (20-32) got on the board in the first on a Jeremy Terry (Cumberland, Ky.) single followed by a Brandon Cross (Bluff City, Tenn.) double, but Morehead State (28-23) came back in the bottom of the first when Page launched his home run.
East Tennessee State got a two-run home run from Matt Traylor (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the fourth, but it was too little too late for the Bucs as the Eagles had scored two more in the second and one in the third to take a 7-2 lead. ETSU starter Josh Kite (Greenville, Tenn.) was the losing pitcher, allowing seven runs on nine hits in four innings with five strikeouts.
ETSU again got things going in the first inning in the second game, loading the bases when the first three Bucs reached base. Bryan Crouse (Kingston, Tenn.) then walked to force home Traylor before Kirk Keithley (Peoria, Ill.) swatted ETSU's second grand slam in three games to put the Bucs up 5-0.
As in the first game MSU wasted no time, immediately going to the long ball when Kevin Matuszek launched a three-run shot off of starter Mike Bauer (Kingsport, Tenn.) in the bottom of the first. The Eagles went on to smack five more home runs, giving them 120 in 2002, tying the Ohio Valley Conference team record. MSU tied the game with a pair of long balls in the second and then scored six times in the fourth to take a 13-8 lead, with the big blows a two-run single by Will Renaker and a three-run home run off the bat of David Hughes.
Michael Giroud (St. Petersburg, Fla.) brought the Bucs closer with a bases loaded single in the fifth that brought home two runs to make it 13-10. Cross brought home another in the sixth with a fielder's choice and Chad Boruff (Knoxville, Tenn.) got another home in the seventh with a groundout, but that was as close as the Bucs would get, as Augie Cabral got the Eagles out of the jam by striking out Traylor to end the game and pick up the save.
Matt Soale, the second of three MSU pitchers, picked up the win despite giving up four earned runs in four innings and walking five batters. Bauer was hit hard and took the loss, giving up 10 earned runs in 3.1 innings.
East Tennessee State will host Furman in a key three-game Southern Conference series this weekend, as the two teams will be battling for a spot in the Southern Conference Tournament. It will be the last regular season games for the Bucs, with the first contest on Friday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. in Cardinal Park.